The Eight Prangs are of different colors and each is dedicated to a certain Buddhist concept. The form of a Thai Prang or Chedi (tower) derives from the Khmer prasat, but whereas a prasat is "a residence of a king or a god," a prang has the same function as a Chedi. A Chedi is a kind of Pagoda which has a specific symbolism. The base represents hell, the middle humanity and the top the state of nirvana. When faithful people are performing "vien tien" ceremonies ( walking around the Chedi three times ) they are expressing a wish to be whisked from hell to nirvana by a whirlpool.